Meet Caroline Moran | Media Associate and Freelance Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Caroline Moran and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Caroline, what do you think makes you most happy? Why?
Art is something that nourishes my soul in the most fulfilling form of happiness I have ever experienced. I tend to lose myself in the process of creating; I’ll lose track of time, or it will feel like time starts going by extraordinarily fast. I love exploring new media and working to constantly expand my skillset. I am a trained painter, award-winning cast-iron sculpture artist (Judge’s Choice Award 2022) with a degree in graphic design. As a fun hobby, I like doing latte art.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Currently, I am working as a Jesuit Volunteer for Outside the Lens, a photography nonprofit organization that works to level out the technological equity gap in low income areas around San Diego. So, my day job is that I help teach classes in photography to kids and teens as well as adults on the spectrum. We work to give them the basic skills to express themselves and elevate the voices they already have using the art form of photography. In class, we grapple with topics that the populations we serve are effected by, intertwined with social justice. All equipment is provided by Outside the Lens. Lately, I have had some new developments in my professional life, mainly doing event photography. I have also been getting more into freelance design work for my local parish, Our Lady of Guadelupe and recently had a flyer I designed published and displayed internationally. As of now, I am most proud of getting to photograph Fr. Gregory Boyle at a recent event for the Ignatian Volunteer Corps. He has been a huge inspiration to me from his work as the founder of the Homeboy Industries, the largest and most successful gang-intervention program in the world, located in LA. During orientation for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps this past August, I recall listening to several speakers who pulled quotes from Fr. Greg Boyle’s works, so it was especially wonderful to get to talk to him and hear in person how he is a beautiful mix of hilarious and prophetic. I think getting to where I am now has definitely come from hard work, but I wouldn’t have it any other way because my passion brought me here.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Funny! I recently had three of my older sisters and a nephew come visit (I come from a big Catholic family and am the youngest of eight girls! Yes, you read that right haha). They were here about a week, and I planned an itinerary for them to show off some of my favorite spots. We went to the world-famous San Diego zoo and had an absolute blast; we were there the whole day, open to close. I showed them Balboa park, one of my absolute favorite spots because there is usually something fun happening whether it be life performances, acrobatics or music, and a hub for visual art. We walked around the beautiful and historic Gaslamp district with all its sights, sounds, and ambiance. We ate at Gaslamp Pizza, The Melt. The absolute best place to get food, I’d have to say, would be Salud’s, which is located in Barrio Logan. They have authentic Mexican food, the tortillas have the delicate little bubbles in the dough that only happen for homemade tortillas, and are lightly crisped to perfection. Their hibiscus refresher is also a personal favorite. While on the topic of food, I can’t not talk about Mujeres. Though best known for their beverages, they have a kitchen that just opened up through one of their partners that I tried recently and must say is just phenomenal. During a tour of hot spots in San Diego, I also have to absolutely mention the Coronado is a must-see. My sisters loved walking the shopping strip as well as dipping toes into the water close by. Everything you’d want to do is all in a hub right there, so you can easily spend a whole day exploring and basking in the beautiful nature. The sand glitters when the sun hits it just right. You don’t get that at every beach. We also went to Cowles Mountain, a rugged spot for hiking that’s conveniently only, like, a fifteen minute drive out. The views are incredible, and it is not too strenuous so is easily accessible for the average hiker who just wants to get immersed in nature and not have a heart attack (especially with a vacation diet!) After the sun sets, I love to go experience nightlife in Pacific Beach, especially at the bar Backyard. They have fun club music, bright neon lights, and a fog machine. I met a really fantastic typography muralist there who I am now friends with. It’s also fun because it’s different every time you go, and that could be said for most things in San Diego. Nothing really stays the same. There is adventure waiting around every corner!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Janden Richards was my graphic design professor and advisor at Spring Hill College, a small liberal arts jesuit college in Mobile, Alabama that has been around since 1830. She was a trail-blazer for so many reasons. She actually started the graphic design program at Spring Hill and worked as a designer in the corporate world for Crayola before that in a time when women were not encouraged or entirely welcome to do so. She was a rule breaker in a way that was progressive and inspiring for me. She was a part of the 60s peace riots in Harlem, NY and continually challenged the boundaries of what design should be. I recall she assigned a sewing project to me for a “personal flag” assignment in a design class for the purpose of getting out of a virtual space and gaining a new perspective through working with something tangible. Diving back further, my first really formational time nurturing my creativity was when I was attending The Mississippi School of the Arts, a boarding school for passionate high school students that are artistically gifted. The culture there was so open, accepting of all, and inspiring daily with pop up student art shows. My time there was unforgettable and only the start of my lifelong love of art, creativity, and what it means to me to call myself an artist. In early childhood, my family also was encouraging towards my art. I would stay out for hours outside my home in Madison, Mississippi, drawing life size chalk murals on my street, and they were always met with admiration and praise from friends and family.

Website: https://carolinemoran825.wixsite.com/mywork

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cmoran_art/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-moran-4181811a6/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artsycaroline/

Image Credits
I took all pictures except for the very last one of the purple banner, which is my design. That picture was taken by Fr. Hung, Jesuit priest of Our Lady of Guadelupe. He is also a photographer and sent me that photo to show me that they had printed out my design for the Lenten banner and they were on display.